I joined the club recently, Centaur a few months ago and my second, Space Invaders, just yesterday. Shopping/refurbing both right now.

Can someone tell me if the five fuses on the Centaur AS-2518-54 Power Module (the board notes 4a, 20a, 5a, 3/4a, and 20a) should be slow or fast blow?

And on early Bally SS models with the older pop bumper design, is there an easy way to swap in new rod & ring assemblies? It looks to me like the lamp socket has to be removed so that the body can be removed so that the ring can be removed. Poor design on Bally's part, if this is what's necessary.

Guys, I am ordering a bunch of parts to refresh my Centaur and Space Invaders and one thing I'll be replacing is most of the coil stops. According to the manuals, there are different parts numbers for almost every stop (outhole kicker, slingshot, flippers, single drop target, ball kickers on Centaur), some of which are cross referenced with other part numbers, and they basically all look the same to my eyes. I also see them listed from 3.95 to 7 bucks for the same part. You guys you have been through this before, what's the most common-to-all-assemblies coil stop I can get for 1980+ Ballys at the best price? I'm thinking it's this one - http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-613-115

Hi guys, Centaur/Fathom & later owners whose games use the AS-2999 pop bumpers - where are you getting your A613-113 core plug assemblies when you have to replace them? I've searched for months and can't find them anywhere, and PBR, the one place I was sure would carry them, ran dry months ago. Or is there a service that will drill out & press in a new coil stop into the bracket when the old one wears down or mushrooms? This should be a pretty common part that's otherwise unobtainium.

Are there any owners/users here of the Rottendog BPS054 rectifier board in their 80's Bally game? Any issues with the board, would you highly recommend it?

I need to replace the backbox lock on my Centaur but unsure what size to get. Obviously a coindoor lock has too short a barrel, as I've tried to fit it. I see a 1 1/8" lock at Marco, is that correct? What does that measure, the barrel or the length of the entire assembly?

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/LKA118

My Bally solid states (Centaur, Mata Hari) have had their backbox locks drilled. Can someone point me to a replacement that will fit correctly and hook up to the long bar at the top that holds the backglass in place? Thanks!

This might sound like a dumb question, because I'm sure the answer is no, but it couldn't hurt to ask: are early Bally SS playfield wiring harnesses interchangeable from game to game? Specifically, I have a Mata Hari harness that's been hacked that I'd like to replace with a complete Bobby Orr's Power Play harness. I know it's a no, yet I ask anyway.

Did early Bally solid states (Mata Hari & Evel Knievel era) have 5/8" spring washers in their drop target reset solenoids? I just cleaned up and reassembled both drop banks, and both coils have about 1/16" of travel between brackets, even when I've squeezed the brackets as tightly together as possible before screwing them in. I don't see reference to them in the parts books, but then I don't see reference to spring washers for the flipper solenoids either, even though I know they came with them.

Anyone have a source for these? I can't even find a part number anywhere. Marco carries the common 1/2" version but not this larger one. I've also checked Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc. with no luck. May just wind up using a rubber washer as a replacement.

First time replacing connectors on an early Bally SS, and will be ordering from Great Plains. I have a few questions:

- I've re-crimped .156 contacts before using trifurcons, but I assume trifurcons are not used at the .100 size?

- It looks like the MPU/lamp/solenoid/sound boards all use .100, correct? Are they all the same 22-26AWG size? Do I want 2.4 amp or 4 amp? What is the correct crimp contact to order for these?

- Pretty sure I can just re-use the old reddish-brown connectors if I just pop out the old contacts, correct?

- Rectifier board and displays all use .156 18-24AWG contacts?

EDIT: Looks like there are some .156 connectors used on the solenoid and sound boards too.

Two quick questions before I order from GPE: Can the original .156" connectors from an early Bally SS be reused with trifurcons, or do I need new ones?

Second, got a new 054 rectifier board in my Centaur. Might as well re-pin the wires with new contacts, are those contacts & connectors for it (just like the ones in pacman11's photo above) .062", .093", or .084"?

So that would be these then?
https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/products.asp?cat=2

Power Module -54 fuse F2, the 3/4 amp one -- should this be slow blow or fast blow? I see references to both. This will be for both a Xenon and a Centaur.

Thanks Quench. I got a brand new -54 board recently that came with new fuses installed, and the 3/4 was a slo-blo. I see a lot of Bally fuse kits for sale with the 3/4 as a slo-blo too. Even some tech/repair sites call for slo-blo. Very confusing. Was this change documented in Bally literature?

I have a Xenon that, when I turn it on and the MPU is booting, I get a very slight and momentary energizing of the rear kickout hole solenoid. It's so slight that the kicker arm barely moves, but I can see it and hear it. It's not the full kick that's usual when the game is resetting upon boot-up and it kicks both holes to clear any balls that may have been left there, that happens a few seconds after. I replaced the diode on the coil but that did nothing. I also checked all the SDB transistors when troubleshooting an unrelated problem and they were all fine. Any idea what might be causing this? This isn't normal Bally behavior, is it?

It's the game's original -35 board. I only see the red push button switch in the upper right corner, which honestly I've never pressed on any Bally game, is that what it's for?

Didn't think it worth mentioning, but the insert lamps all flash on for a split second too, right before that solenoid energizes for a split second, at boot up. I always thought that was just normal, is it a similar occurance?

Yes, just checked and that's exactly when it's occurring. Was worried that a transistor or something might be on its way out, glad it's nothing. Thanks!

Or this one -
https://nvram.weebly.com/bally-stern-ldb.html

One of the insert lamps on my Xenon keeps burning out after a day or two of play, I've replaced the same bulb three times in a week. It's in the middle of the playfield and there are other lamps much closer to solenoids, so I don't think vibration is the problem. Bayonet base is brand new. Is there anything on the LDB, a faulty SCR, resistor, diode, or whatever, that could cause this? The bulbs are #47's from Pinball Life, and it could be the bulbs of course, but three in the same spot is more than coincidence.

I have a Space Invaders that is emitting a little hum from the transformer when powered on. It's like a "standard transformer hum" and hardly noticeable with the coindoor closed and playfield down and glass on. When I start a game though, the hum increases in loudness, definitely louder and annoying. And when the game plays any kind of sound effect, the hum disappears (or goes back to the original quiet hum) until the sound effect is done, then it gets loud again. Is this a "recap the sound board" problem or something else entirely? I have not reseated any connectors or played around with anything else as of yet.

Hum is from speaker after all. Had to move out the game so I could open it up, so I wasn't hearing it just thru the coindoor opening. Game is quiet when I power on, then I start up a game and get the hum. I turn the speaker down at the pot and hum is gone. I would guess/hope this is a recap the sound board fix; although I see in another post that this did nothing and it was a ground issue. I unscrewed the board and let it hang free, and the hum was the same when I started a game, so I don't think that's it.

While I'm on the subject, I have a second -51 sound board, also from a Space Invaders. The sound doesn't get above "barely audible", even turned all the way up. The pot works, as when I turn it all the way down, it's silent. Just barely audible when turned up. Any ideas what would be the prob here?

Also on same subject: here's an ebay listing for cap kit for the boards in question. C8 on both above boards is 470uf / 16v and that's also what the manual specifies. This cap kit comes with a 1000uf / 25v for the C8 location. I know the voltage isn't a problem but is the 1000uf going to present a problem? Was this maybe an upgrade from a Bally service bulletin or something? Or just plain wrong?

ebay.com link: itm

Just recapped the board and unfortunately that didn't fix it. Still getting the speaker hum, only during a game, and only when no sound effects are being played. Don't know what to try next.

One other thing to note that's unrelated, I'll occasionally get a humming/buzzing sound when one of the flippers is activated. It's not every time, maybe once every 20-40 flips during a game, and it stops when I release the flipper button. It's coming from the flipper coil/solenoid itself, I just raised the playfield and flipped a couple dozen times to make certain. Ideas?

Still tight as it was when I rebuilt it, same as the other three flipper solenoids.

I just replaced the LM3900 amplifier in the second Space Invaders sound board, and I have volume again, so that fixes that problem. Still getting the same hum as the first board though, so I also recapped the second, and the damn hum is still there. I get the same hum whether the boards are screwed in tight or floating, which I see was a solution for some owners. Not sure what else I could try.

Yes, C23 was the first cap I replaced on it.

A new C23 cap DID cut down the noise I was getting from the displays switching between last game / high score, at least.

I assume that grounding the - of C13 to the backbox ground braid with an alligator clipped wire that I had handy would do the same thing, so I tried that. Not only didn't it lower or eliminate the hum during a game, but it introduced a new hum, fairly low but still there, during attract mode.

It's a (replacement) three-prong plug. No idea if the outlet is properly grounded, and I would have no idea how to check that, even if I had the proper tools (ie, anything beyond a dmm).

FWIW, I moved the plug to another outlet further down the same wall, and plugged it into the same socket where I had my completely hum-free Xenon. Still get the hum.

If SI wasn't properly grounded, and as a test, I connected the ground braid on SI to the ground braid on another game with alligator clips, would that technically ground both games, or is it just a disaster in the making?

Wouldn't I get a hum as soon as the game is switched on then? Hum only begins when I start a game. You can hear it over the "dum-dum-dum-dum" background noise, but when a sound effect plays it momentarily stops, then begins again right after the sound effect stops.

Nope, just new caps on both, and new LM3900 amp on one. Both sound boards should be exactly the same now, so I'm guessing the problem has nothing to do with either.

Do you guys replace the flipper button capacitors when restoring/refreshing your machines? What caps do you use?

0.1uf/500v is what I just saw in other threads. Getting sparking on my Space Invaders, maybe adding them can cut that down a bit.

Once every eight months or so, I'll power on my Xenon and just the GI will turn on. It's always a blown F3 4A fuse on the power module / rectifier board, and replacing it gets it up and running again for another eight months. I've been using fast-blow fuses, is it possible that F3 requires a slow-blow and that's why I'm having this occasional problem? Everything else on the game is just fine.

No, I have replaced that.

Just the C23 on the solenoid board. Everything else is working fine so I figured why mess with it.

Never resets, never fails on startup (except for the blown fuse, last week and last November). Runs like a top, really. I would gladly replace the offending part if I could identify it. Meanwhile I'll just pick up some more 4A's on my next Marco order.